Raffaele Saladino

CV Raffaele Saladino University of Tuscia, Viterbo (Italy)
saladino@unitus.it; www.saladinoraffaele.weebly.com
ACADEMIC TITLES
 Vice-Director of the Agrobiology and Agrochemistry Department (ABAC) of the
University of Tuscia, Viterbo (IT). 2001-2006
 Director of the Agrobiology and Agrochemistry Department (ABAC) of the University of
Tuscia, Viterbo (IT). 2007-2012
 President of the Evaluation Nucleus (NdV) of the University of Tuscia, Viterbo (IT). 2014-2017
 CEO of the University of Tuscia, Viterbo (IT). 2017-today
 President of the Italian Society of Astrobiology 2018-today
 President of the Italian Astrobiology Institute 2019-today
 PhD in Organic Chemistry @University La Sapienza, Rome (IT). 1992
 MSc in Industrial Chemistry (110/110 cum Laude) @University La Sapienza, Rome (IT). 1989
POST-DOCTORAL EXPERIENCE
 Visiting scientist Department of Chemistry, University of Montréal (Quebec, Canada) 1994-1996
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
 Full Professor In Organic Chemistry (SSD CHIM06), Department of Ecological and
Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Viterbo (IT). 2016
 Associate Professor In Organic Chemistry (SSD CHIM06), Department of Ecological
and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Viterbo (IT). 2000-2016
 Assistant Professor In Organic Chemistry (SSD CHIM06), Department of Ecological
and Biological Sciences (DEB), University of Tuscia, Viterbo (IT). 1993-2000
 Qualification for teaching Chemistry in secondary schools. 1992
 Ministerial authorization for the profession of Chemist. 1989
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
The main research interests of Raffaele Saladino are related to organic synthesis, prebiotic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, heterogeneous catalysis, biocatalysis and green chemistry, with particular attention to design of prebiotic models for the origin of life, and to develop environmentally friendly procedures in green chemistry and bio-nanotechnology. Since 2000, the research activity of Raffaele Saladino in the prebiotic chemistry field has been focused on the development of new synthetic models for the origin and molecular evolution of nucleic acids, amino acids, lipids and sugars, based on formamide chemistry. The scientific activity of Raffaele Saladino in the field of organic chemistry and prebiotic chemistry is evidenced by contributions to the most influential scientific journals in chemistry (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, Chem. Soc. Rev., J. Am. Chem. Soc., J. Org. Chem., Chem-Eur. J, PolRev, Sc. Reports, J. Org. Chem.). Raffaele Saladino published more than 200 publications in international journals, 14 book chapters and 5 patents, and during the last 10 years has given 65 lectures at Italian and foreign institutions (with a total of 85 during his whole career). His publications have received over than 5335 citations (sum of times cited without self-citations; Web of Science), h-index of 41 (Scopus).
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ACTIVITIES
Raffaele Saladino is a founding member and CEO of the spin-off GentoxChem (Genetic Toxicology and Medicinal Chemistry Services, Ltd.; www.gentoxchem.com; Via Santa Maria in Gradi , Viterbo (Italy)
PARTECIPATION IN ACADEMIES AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES
 2019-today President of the Italian Astrobiology Institute (IAI).
 2018-today President of the Italian Society of Astrobiology (SIA).
 2006 Founder and Member of the Steering Committee of the Italian Society of Astrobiology (SIA).
 2004-today Member of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life (ISSOL).
 2004-today Member of the International Society for Chemistry of Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids (ISNNNA).
 2004-today Member of the Italian Society of Chemistry (SCI).
OTHER ACTIVITIES
 2001-today Association Agreement (class B1) at the Italian Institute for the Physics of Matter (INFM).
 2001-today Founder and Member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Cultural Association for Lignin Chemistry (ITALIC).
 2005- today Association to Italian Institute for Astrophysics (INAF).
 2008-2010 Board of the Italian Interuniversity Consortium of Chemistry for the Environment (INCA).
 2013-today Member of the Program Advisory Committee (PAC) for the Condensed Matter Physics of the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research (JINR) in Dubna (Moscow, Russia), with the function of Life Science Expert in the external evaluation panel for funding assignment.
 2014-today Expert group of the European Scientific Foundation (ESF) for AstroMap, Road Map for Prebiotic Chemistry.
 2015-today Expert Group in Astrobiology for the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
 2012-today Expert Board for the Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF) of the Food and Health Bureau, Hong Kong SAR Government.
TOP TEN PUBLICATIONS
1) d’Ischia M, Manini P, Moracci, M, Saladino R, Ball V, Thissen H, Evans R A, Puzzarini C, Barone V (2019). Astrochemistry and astrobiology: Materials science in wonderland?. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES, vol. 20, 4079, doi: 10.3390/ijms20174079.
2) Bizzarri B M, Šponer J E, Šponer J, Cassone G, Kapralov M, Timoshenko G N, Krasavin E, Fanelli G, Timperio A M, Di Mauro E, Saladino R (2019). Meteorite‐Assisted Phosphorylation of Adenosine Under Proton Irradiation Conditions. CHEMSYSTEMSCHEM, vol. 1, e190003.
3) Mattia Bizzarri B, Botta L, Pérez-Valverde MI, Saladino R, Di Mauro E, García-Ruiz JM (2018). Silica Metal Oxide Vesicles Catalyze Comprehensive Prebiotic Chemistry. CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, vol. 24, p. 8126-8132, doi: 10.1002/chem.201706162.
4) Saladino R, Bizzarri BM, Botta L, Šponer J, Šponer JE, Georgelin T, Jaber M, Rigaud B, Kapralov M, Timoshenko GN, Rozanov A, Krasavin E, Timperio AM, Di Mauro E (2017). Proton irradiation: A key to the challenge of N-glycosidic bond formation in a prebiotic context. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, vol. 7, 14709, doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-15392-8.
5) Rotelli, L., Trigo-Rodríguez, J.M., Moyano-Cambero, C.E., Carota, E., Botta, L., Di Mauro, E., Saladino R (2016). The key role of meteorites in the formation of relevant prebiotic molecules in a formamide/water environment. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, vol. Volume 6, doi: 10.1038/srep38888.
6) Saladino R, Carota E, Botta G, Kapralov M, Timoshenko GN, Rozanov AY, Krasavin E, Di Mauro E (2015). Meteorite-catalyzed syntheses of nucleosides and of other prebiotic compounds from formamide under proton irradiation. PNAS, vol. 112, p. 2746-2755, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1422225112.
7) Saladino R, Botta G, Delfino M, Di Mauro E (2013). Meteorites as catalysts for prebiotic chemistry. CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, vol. 19, p. 16916-16922, doi: 10.1002/chem.201303690.
8) Saladino R, Crestini C, Pino S, Costanzo G, Di Mauro E (2012). Formamide and the origin of life. PHYSICS OF LIFE REVIEWS, vol. 9, p. 84-104, doi: 10.1016/j.plrev.2011.12.002.
9) Saladino R, Botta G, Pino S, Costanzo G, Di Mauro E (2012). Genetics first or metabolism first? The formamide clue. CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS, vol. 41, p. 5526-5565, doi: 10.1039/c2cs35066a
10) SALADINO R, NERI VERONICA, CRESTINI CLAUDIA, COSTANZO GIOVANNA, GRACIOTTI MICHELE, DI MAURO ERNESTO (2008). Synthesis and degradation of nucleic acid components by formamide and iron sulfur minerals. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, vol. 130(46), p. 15512-15518, doi: 10.1021/ja804782e